Category Archives: Sweet Finds

Today’s the day! Join me and the other Cannonborough/Elliotborough shop owners in Downtown Charleston for our annual sidewalk sale. Starting at the opening bell (10 AM for us) we will be offering discounts on discontinued Candy Shop Vintage/Charleston Rice Bead colors and styles and our popular $5 vintage table is making a return this year as well. Get there early for the best picks and if you aren’t local, feel free to check out our sample sale online.

Happy Halloween from Charleston, SC (where it is a balmy 80 degrees out – seriously, I am ready for some real fall weather!). Today is the last day to play “Guess The Number of Candy Corn” in the champagne glass (below). The closest (or exact) guess wins a $100 gift card to Candy Shop Vintage that can be used online and in store. If more than one person guesses the correct number then they both get a gift card! Comment on this blog post with your best guess and your email address! Winner is announced tomorrow.

This year my daughter Daphne asked me to dress as a rainbow unicorn with her. I figure that the number of years she wants to wear matching costumes are going to be limited so I should jump on board. It is pretty cute wearing a matching costume with her (although she shed some of her unicorn accessories for a pony ride in the park because it was just so hot!).

And for some adult treats, don’t forget to check our our One-of-a-Kind Vintage section where we’ve just added some fresh vintage treats!

Last Thursday marked the launch of a collaboration I did along with Seeline Vintage with the The Restoration Hotel and their boutique, The Port Mercantile at 75 Wentworth Street in Downtown Charleston. The Port is located adjacent to the lobby of their beautiful hotel, but far from a typical hotel gift shop, it is a well curated trove of unique designer items including many Southern brands. They approached my friend MK Quinlan of Seeline to do a month-long pop-up shop but wanted to accent her great vintage clothing collection with some jewels and accessories – so that is where I came in. Not to mention, it is always fun to get to work with friends.

MK is pregnant, and chicly managed to camouflage her growing bump in one of her gorgeous vintage gowns while I opted for one of her vintage cocktail dresses – a floral, Emanual Ungaro wrap dress I purchased from her while we were setting up our shop. Shopping while you are trying to make money is always one of the pitfalls of pop-up shops! We had a small launch party last Thursday but the curated vintage collection of clothing and jewelry will be up until the end of the month if you can get there fast enough! Even the first night, our one-of-a-kind pieces were flying out the door…

We both tried to select vintage pieces that complimented the earthy, rich tones of the store as well as spoke to the season… think spring garden cocktails, summer evening dinner parties and weekend jaunts…

A crown jewel of my collection for the port was the chunky, gold Egyptian Revival cuff pictured below. Designed by Elizabeth Taylor for AVON in the early 1990’s it looked like it had never been worn and was in it’s original packaging when it came into my possession. It lasted a mere 24 hours, but at least I have this photo to remember it by… (sniff, sniff…)

I also worked with century old jewelry house CINER in New York to re-manufacture some one-of-a-kind vintage designs from their archives for this curated collection. All of their manufacturing is still done in house in the center of Manhattan and they were able to quickly turn around some incredible pieces pulled from their archives that emulate the season – from under-the-sea fantasy pieces like this dolphin cuff to the elegant rhinestone butterfly choker. If you are in Charleston are able to make it by The Port Mercantile at The Restoration Hotel this month, do not miss out on this special collection!

We loved seeing all our friends join us at the opening for whisky sours and pimento cheese crackers. Lindsay Fleege (pictured below) did a fabulous job with her firm Gray & Co. promoting our event! Lindsay used to do PR for CHANEL in New York and her own jewelry collection is seriously incredible.

The sweetest grandaughter/grandmother duo in town to celebrate my good friend Cator’s wedding…

Interior Designer Sidney Wagner peruses the vintage racks

Lindsay & Ellie of Gray & Co. PR

Our most stylish customers…

Helping Anne Elkins of The George Gallery find some statement earrings

Vintage shopping is the prefect girls night out activity!

Thanks to all who came out! It was so much fun. Be sure to visit before we pack up shop on May 31st!

While my family and I were on vacation in Florida last week, I asked my friend Lizzy of The Connoisseur of Cute to take over the @candyshopvintage instagram for a couple of days and share her favorite Rhode Island haunts through the her whimsical and colorful lense. While I travel to RI frequently and have posted my own mini travel guides, it was great to see it through someone else’s eyes. Here are the spots she shared in case you missed out on her adorable Instagram posts:

One of my personal favorites, Allie’s Donuts – an amazing local donut shop with signature, brightly colored donuts, full donut cakes and more!

The Roger Williams Park Botanical Center is located in Roger Williams Park in Providence – totally lush and beautiful! And love her matching pants : )

How precious is this bakery – Sweet Indulgence – located at 2202 Broad Street in Cranston, RI

Yes please to this fruit topped custard French toast from Modern Diner in Pawtucket, RI!

Almost no trip to RI is complete without visiting the stunning historic mansions of Newport, RI, many of which are open for tours and are located along Cliff Walk.

Rhode Island is famous for its beautiful beaches (and sunsets!) Narragansett beach is a favorite and open to the public daily.

Lizzy’s posts have inspired me to do a little more exploring this summer beyond my usual spots (although Allie’s is something I never miss out on!). Thanks again for taking over for us – make sure to keep following along with Lizzy @theconnoisseurofcute. xo

It’s almost Memorial Day weekend and the kick-off to summer – otherwise known as houseguest season. Being a host is hard – but being hosted can be even harder. Whether you’re visiting a friend out at the beach for the day, tagging along for an afternoon barbecue, or crashing with someone for an entire weekend, being someone’s guest can often be navigating some very murky waters of etiquette. How early do you arrive? How late do you leave? When do you pick up the check? Some of those things just take experience and good intuition but one thing is for sure – the worst houseguest can be forgiven – even invited back – if they bring a great gift:

2. OVERNIGHT GUEST: A turquoise Charleston Rice Bead bracelet is an affordable token of affection with a great story behind it. Leave it behind on your pillow with a thank you note or even order one online after you leave and ship it directly to your hostess with a Candygram.

4. WEEKLONG GUEST: Being a guest for more than a weekend means one thing – your host is a veteran. Contribute something that can become a permanent fixture in their home and that can be put to use like these whimsical Charleston linen guests towels. 100% heirloom linen and 100% washable.

5. FOR THE LITTLE ONES: Until we have Charleston Rice Beads for kids, you can grab one of these adorable Color Charleston books at Candy Shop On Cannonfor just $12 whimsically illustrated by my talented friend Mary Mac and hand bound with red thread. Also available on her website.

6. LOANER VACATION HOUSE: When someone loans you their house – whether for a week or even just a night – it’s appropriate to spoil them a bit with something special that only they can enjoy, like our Crescent Necklace – new for summer – in Pool Blue. It’s still just a drop in the bucket compared to the money you would have spent on rent or a hotel. And don’t forget to make the beds before you leave.

There are two things I seem genetically and possibly geographically disposed to like: potato chips and doughnuts. I cannot reasonably incorporate either of these things into my regular diet but I like to treat vacation as a guilt-free zone. We are currently in Rhode Island, just off the coast and near a saltwater river having a very relaxing time. I have made the most of my downtime, googling things like “best doughnuts in Rhode Island” and voila! The doughnut cake:

I experienced this culinary gem at Allie’s Doughnut Shop and had to ask them to take it out of the case so I could photograph it properly. I left my feet in there for scale. It was already spoken for (apparently to secure one you do need to order several weeks in advance) but I did sample Allie’s regular sized doughnuts and I can honestly say as far as good old-fashioned doughnuts go they are the best I’ve had. It is well worth the trip, probably about 30 minutes from larger cities like Newport and Providence.

We also spent Father’s Day at a great seafood spot called “Champlin’s“. I’ve tried a lot of places like this in Rhode Island and a lot of them are pretty touristy and only decent. But there are a few real gems and Champlin’s, pictured below (along with their perfect lobster salad roll) is one of them:

They also sell these ridiculously adorable felt lobster hats. Daphne snatched one off the rack as we were waiting in line and we couldn’t get it off her head the rest of the night. Future Halloween costume?

Also, conveniently located just below the restaurant is The Sweet Spot, a perfect way to sate your after-dinner sugar craving (fudge, ice cream, etc.) without having to make another stop. The Block Island Ferry terminal is just steps away so it is worth eating here even if you are just passing through on your way there.

Since we are staying just outside Narragansett, we ventured into town for a drink at this waterfront bar/restaurant – The Coast Guard House. We just had a drink on the upper deck and did not sample the food, but a sunset view doesn’t get much better than this. And once it got dark, you could see the bridge into Newport glittering in the distance. Pretty magical!

Thursday night my husband I will head into Providence to spend a night at The Dean Hotelwhich I am really looking forward to. And I can’t mention Providence without acknowledging it’s rich history as the costume jewelry capital of the U.S. Pre-1980 almost all costume jewelry sold in America was made there and Providence still has a neighborhood called The Jewelry District where old jewelry factories have since been converted into lofts. And speaking of jewelry, my Charleston Rice Beads were just the right amount of the South to bring along with me up North:

It’s already been a great (and much-needed) vacation and we still have exactly seven days left, which makes me feel kind of like this:

Also, we just did an interview with Wine Awesomeness for their blog, Badassery which we will post when it is up. For those of use who know nothing about wine and just want to be told what to drink (or better yet, sent it every month), Wine Awesomeness is where its at. They also recently did a rosé collab with fashion photog Ben Watts. A fringe benefit of living in the South, your rosé season is extra long!

And next week we are at the accessories mecca of NYC – Henri Bendel. Who can resist their little striped bags? Come put some Candy Shop Vintage in yours next Thursday – Sunday. We’ll be there all day!

Finally, check out this pic of some of the LA Bloggers at NYFW on Clothes Horse NYC today. Amelia (second from right) rocking one of our one-of-a-kind vintage pieces and looking adorable as usual.

Pedre was started in 1944 and is now a third generation family business. They were one of the first companies to combine costume jewelry with watch mechanisms and set the trend for what became the fashion watch business. Over the decades, Pedre manufactured watches under its own brand as well as private label for most prestigious American retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. They still make watches for a variety of companies as well as carry their own lineof contemporary and classic styles. We were lucky enough to score some of their genuine vintage styles from their archives.

These are discontinued designs that have never been worn – old stock of some of their former lines from the 1950’s – 1990’s. Even though they are vintage, the watch mechanisms themselves have been totally updated. Some of them even have the classic, hidden watch face design from when it used to be considered rude for a lady to check the time – can you even imagine? Every piece is incredibly well-crafted, each is a genuinely beautiful one-of-a-kind collector’s item. We’ve loved getting to know their varied watch design history and hope to offer more where these came from!